Tikanga - He tapu kia hoatu toto?

How do blood donations help whānau?

Giving Blood is giving the gift of life to someone who needs it. It may be someone in your whānau, hapu or iwi, or someone in your community. It may be a new born baby, someones Mum, Aunty or cousin. Whoever it is, they will be grateful for this gift.

You can make a huge difference in someones life and give yourself a pat on the back for helping someone get better.

Is it ok to do a karakia when donating blood?

Absolutely! We know this is an important ritual to lift tapu, so we are happy for you to do a karakia when donating blood.

Can I bring my whānau into the interview room?

As the pre-donation interview is a confidential interview you wont be allowed to bring your whānau into the interview room with you but they are more than welcome to wait outside while a registered nurse goes over your health questionnaire with you.

What do we do with your blood after you donate it?

We label every bag with a special number so that we can match it with tests taken and give the correct product to the right patient.

The blood is taken into our laboratories where it may be separated into 3 components  Red Blood Cells, Plasma and Platelets. Each of these components is then stored at our main Blood Centres until they are ready to be transported to the hospital to be given to a patient in need.

Each and every donation is tested for a blood group, and screened and tested for a variety of diseases to reduce any chance of these conditions being passed onto patients.

Blood donations are carefully handled and treated with respect, and are vital in helping someone in need like Kelvin.

Do I get a cuppa after I donate?

You sure do AND Chocolate biscuits, but remember to do the dishes when you finish! Just joking about the dishes, we take care of all that for you so you can just relax!

Can I request for my blood to go to only my whānau?

Sorry, you cant request your blood to only go to your whānau because we need to make sure every patient who needs blood can get it, so every donation is treated equally in this respect.

It is important to remember that for each donation you give, you provide a chance to help someone else, and one day it could be you or someone in your whānau who may need blood thats been donated.

Why do we need more Māori to join the Registry for Bone Marrow donors?

Ancestry plays a big role in bone marrow donations because the patient is most likely to match someone of the same ethnicity.

So if your ancestors were Māori we would love to see you join the NZ Bone Marrow Donor Registry because each year many patients, including Māori, are diagnosed with leukaemia or other serious blood disorders and often a bone marrow transplant is the only hope for a cure.

You can join by donating a unit of blood at the NZ Blood Service and letting them know you want to join the Registry at the same time.

Currently, European patients have access to over 9 million Europeans on worldwide registries, compared to just 5,000 Māori on the NZ Registry which is why the NZ Bone Marrow Donor Registry need more Māori to join up.If youd like more information on becoming a volunteer bone marrow donor, visit the NZ Bone Marrow Donor Registry website (external link) .

Giving Blood and Tapu

NZBS understand that in Māori worldview, the body is considered tapu and requires special consideration and respect. NZBS respect these beliefs and value the sacredness of blood.